معرفی
Kumiko Akikawa is a Senior Lecturer and Placement Test Coordinator in the Japanese program at the University of Maryland's School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She holds an MA from American University and has extensive teaching experience in both English and Japanese at the college level in Japan and the Washington DC area. Her research focuses on language pedagogy, particularly the socio-culturally appropriate use of language (pragmatics), and innovative teaching methods integrating technology. She has presented at conferences such as AAAL, ATJ, and TESOL, and co-authored a pragmatics-focused lesson plan featured in *TESOL International Association's 2010 publication*.
As a former CITL Faculty Fellow (2014-2015), she pioneered flipped classroom approaches using Canvas, Camtasia, ResponseWare, and Clickers. During the 2020 pandemic, she adapted courses for remote learning using Panopto, Piazza, and Zoom. She completed the Advancing Professional Track Faculty Program (2017-2018) and has served as Japanese Program Placement Test Coordinator since 2019.
Her instructional philosophy emphasizes culturally responsive language education and continuous adaptation of pedagogical tools to enhance student learning outcomes.
